Wanna Get Away?

The Bahamas: You've seen the billboards on I-95 and you've seen the commercials. But have you visited the island nation that lies only about 60 miles from South Florida's coast? Most people think of Nassau/Paradise Island when they think of the Bahamas, but the country actually consists of over 3,000 islands, cays, and islets. Each island has its own pulse -- from the casinos and glitz of New Providence (where Nassau lies) to laid-back Bimini where Ernest Hemingway famously fished and drank. If you don't have time for an island getaway, let the islands come to you this weekend at the 36th annual Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove. The Grove, by the way, is steeped in Bahamian culture. Miami's first black settlers were Bahamians, who made Coconut Grove their home in the early 1800's while working to build Miami from the ground up. Aug. 4-5, 2012

Laine Doss is the food and spirits editor for Miami New Times, has been featured on Cooking Channel's Eat Street and Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. Doss won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature on what it's like to wait tables.